What happens next for Rory McIlroy after the long-awaited Master wins?

Charlotte, N.C. – It's been over a month since Rory McIlroy's knee succumbed to the weight of her childhood dream.

McIlroy's victory in the Masters and completion of a professional grand slam has produced an afterglow that has not yet disappeared from the sport's consciousness. Just listen to what this week is saying about his achievements.

Justin Thomas said watching McIlroy was a good reminder of how much feat he wanted, prompting a combination of driving and jealousy. Scottie Scheffler marvels at McIlroy winning jobs in all four majors throughout his career. Jordan Spieth is a PGA champion who is away from his career Grand Slam, which he calls inspiring.

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“You could say it was a tougher win – most of the time he made it look much easier,” Spieth said. “So, obviously it was the forefront in his mind. There's a reason many people haven't done anything like this.”

“I think it's a very difficult obstacle and you can see his emotions at the end,” said Jon Rahm. “He has a lot of opportunities. It's just that, it's by no means easy. It's very difficult. If it brings the weight on his shoulders up, I won't be surprised, it might make him run again.”

The fact that fuel was added to the fire was that McIlroy's first major since conquering the professional grand slam happened to be held at the Quail Hollow Country Club, which he turned into his personal trophy vending machine over the years (he has won his personal trophy vending machine four times), which made him the most popular match of the week.

However, like all of us, including Rahm, he is ready to move his narrative to the next border – “How many Grand Slams can he win now?” – and describe McIlroy as being released after capturing the white whale, is McIlroy himself who seems to want to slow down, snooze for a moment, and appreciate its words for that.

“I still want to create a lot of other highlights and highs, but I'm not sure if there are other wins that will live up to what happened a few weeks ago,” McIlroy said. “I'm still going to set my own goals. I'm going to try to achieve certain goals. But I'm sitting here knowing that this is likely the highlight of my career.”

How is that possible?

McIlroy finally secured the elusive green jacket way, showing 72 hard holes and then showing his flaws, talent and resilience in the way he celebrates – not just an emphasis on ecstasy, but a more gratifying sigh. All of this constitutes a moment in history that will be engraved in history, McIlroy himself wants to remember it with his eyes and body, rather than as part of a video clip, which is played in the years to come.

“I tried not to look at it a lot because I wanted to remember that feeling,” McIlroy said. “But whenever I have it, I get better. I still feel like I want to cry. I've never felt like this release, and I probably never had it again. It's probably a once-in-a-lifetime thing, and it's a really cool moment.”

Hearing McIlroy’s speech on Wednesday was to doubt whether he realized that the Master of 2025 could be his decisive moment, and being able to experience this feeling doesn’t mean McIlroy will continue to pursue more of the newfound freedom of profession, but rather he discovers what professional athletes almost always teach to avoid: Satisfaction: Satisfaction.

“I've achieved everything I want – I've done everything I want to do in the game,” he said. “I've been the best player in the world as a kid and won all the professionals to dream. I've done it. Other than that, everything is done because for how long I've decided to play the game competitively, which is a reward.”

Winning the Masters to end his major drought and finishing a professional grand slam, which neatly tied the bow around his narrative. It's a 2-to-1 feeling, and the part that feels equal is scheduled and impossible. So McIlroy seems to have found it, and it is also a point of view, which is not only satisfaction and satisfaction. The destination is worth the difficult journey, but that doesn't make it less taxable.

“I think everyone sees how difficult it is to have a Polaris and be able to overcome that line,” McIlroy said. “I feel like I'm a little burdened with my professional grand slam stuff and I want to like this.”

In the past, McIlroy said he wanted to be considered the best European player to play the game (only two other Europeans have a higher profession than him), and he wanted to win a away game (this event this year at Bethpage Black gave him this opportunity), but was able to do what he did this year at Augusta. For a player with the most impressive trait like McIlroy is his life span in the game, a large number of wins or grand slams don't seem to be a priority.

“I kept saying I would never write any number on it. This number tells a story, but it isn't the case – probably not the whole story,” he said. “I want to enjoy what I've achieved, I want to enjoy the past decade or my career.”

At 36, it's easy to forget McIlroy for 18 years. The lack of masters takes up so much space in his story that now it's done, he seems to be hinting into another phase of his career that will also begin to ask questions about what he wants to play longer.

For example, McIlroy has said that he won't play championship tour golf and he'll go wrong if he feels he has to play at the age of 50. You can also see his schedule, taking more competitions abroad, less overall, and working on international events like last year’s Irish Open, as well as two upcoming Australian Opens opened in Royal Melbourne and Kingston Heath. Recently, he also said he no longer cared about where professional golf ended up in the LIV-PGA Tour negotiations.

But when it comes to golf in this new reality, McIlroy – undoubtedly playing the best golf in the world – insists that he won’t change his attitude or attitude.

On Thursday morning, he will walk to the first T-shirt of the race and start pursuing his victory, just like he did hundreds of times. Nothing he has done before will change the work he is trying to accomplish. Maybe he will feel more relaxed, maybe he won't put too much pressure on the game, or if he finds himself hunting and will feel himself surprised and will feel his competitive juice five or five Sunday ago.

Not that McIlroy's competitiveness will now be downplayed in any way, but as he sat on the hill climbing the top of a nearly 11-year-old, McIlroy told us that now with the Grand Slam of Masters and Career, his resume is on his resume, and he found a version of his golf course.

“That's everything I think,” McIlroy said.